Disruptive Innovators: Champions of Digital Business - CIO & IT Leader Interviews, Digital Transformation, Digital Innovation

Disruptive Innovations

Disruptive Innovators features conversations with CIOs and IT/Digital leaders from around the world - diving into their personal backstory/career, their current role, trends they've been seeing and their vision for the future. This podcast is made for people who recognize how quickly the digital business landscape is evolving - those who recognize that it takes a village of trusted advisors to navigate this ever-changing terrain – People who enjoy listening to high-level discussions surrounding what it means to be a leader, real-world examples of challenges faced, and industry-specific strategies leveraged to create exceptional business outcomes.

  1. Turning Rocks Into Gems: Building Global Data Operations with German Faraoni Heidenreich of Reckitt

    5d ago

    Turning Rocks Into Gems: Building Global Data Operations with German Faraoni Heidenreich of Reckitt

    German Faraoni Heidenreich, Global Director Data and Shared Services of Reckitt — the company behind Lysol, Mucinex and Finish — joins David Wright to explore what it really takes to transform data operations inside a global consumer goods company.  German shares how he standardizes master data management across international markets, cutting the time it takes to commercialize a new product SKU from 200 days to 90, and why the most meaningful measure of progress in his shared services operation is no longer a turnaround SLA — it is speed to decision. The conversation covers the human side of enterprise data transformation and how communication gaps between technologists and business leaders derail initiatives before they start. German also reflects on what 23 years at Procter & Gamble, a move to London and a significant career reset taught him about adaptability as a winning discipline. Key Takeaways: 00:00 Introduction. 02:05  Leaders should check whether their work and ambitions are actually aligned. 04:30  Technology is the enabler, not the end point — every digital initiative ultimately succeeds or fails on human behavior change, not on the tech itself. 07:00  German’s career path from electronics engineering in Argentina to P&G Latin America, a $50B acquisition-driven move to Mexico and then global innovation organization in Cincinnati, USA. 15:10  Adaptability is a muscle — deliberately surrounding yourself with people from unfamiliar cultures forces growth faster than staying in familiar environments. 18:30  Execution alone is not enough to move to the next level; relationship-building and sponsorship carry critical weight. 21:00  Seeking mentorship from people you don’t see eye to eye with, not just allies, gives a more comprehensive view of your own blind spots. 25:30  The hidden cost of low trust is wasted time and energy, not just failure rates. 28:30  Ethan Mollick’s Substack newsletter ‘One Useful Thing’ — on the fight for attention and the skill of refocusing. 33:00  The pilot market for the new shared services reduced SKU commercialization time from 200 days to 90 — not through new technology, but through process redesign first and automation second. 37:00  Two persistent blockers: communication and building connected data models. 41:00  The biggest future disruptors for consumer goods companies will not be direct competitors — they will be small, agile players leveraging tech and ecosystems to attack from unexpected angles. 42:30  Speed to decision is replacing turnaround SLAs as the KPI that matters in shared services. Thanks for listening to the “Disruptive Innovators” podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, hit the subscribe button and never miss another insightful conversation. And be sure to leave a review to help get the word out about the Champions of Digital Business. Resources Mentioned: One Useful Thing by Ethan Mollick — Substack newsletter: https://www.oneusefulthing.org  The Speed of Trust by Stephen M.R. Covey —  https://speedoftrust.com/  #DisruptiveInnovation #Innovation #DisruptiveTech

    47 min
  2. Why Saying Yes to Discomfort Is the Fastest Path to Innovation Leadership with Tracy Elmer of TrueCare

    Jun 22

    Why Saying Yes to Discomfort Is the Fastest Path to Innovation Leadership with Tracy Elmer of TrueCare

    David Wright sits down with Tracy Elmer, Chief Innovation Officer of TrueCare. They discuss building a career on saying yes before feeling ready, leading innovation in community healthcare and using AI to restore human connection at the point of care. Key Takeaways 00:00 Introduction 03:04 Saying yes before feeling ready has driven every major career leap — discomfort is a growth signal, not a warning sign 06:07 A summer job in Army medical records at 16 set the foundation: service, curiosity and the belief that even short experience counts 09:10 Leading an Epic implementation mid-pandemic reinforced that excellence rather than perfection is the standard  14:37 Admitting what you don't know builds trust and creates the safety culture innovation requires  21:30 TrueCare's access mission extends to food, housing, transportation and a street medicine program for those with the most basic unmet needs  27:30 The workforce represents the community: taking care of the team is how TrueCare takes care of everyone else  29:45 Ambient AI is not about cutting documentation time — it restores eye contact and deepens patient trust  31:05 Agentic AI is being piloted in the contact centre to elevate staff, freeing people for complex work while AI handles the routine Thanks for listening to the “Disruptive Innovators” podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, hit the subscribe button and never miss another insightful conversation. And be sure to leave a review to help get the word out about the Champions of Digital Business. Resources Mentioned TrueCare: https://www.truecare.org/ “The Light We Carry” by Michelle Obama https://www.amazon.com/Light-We-Carry-Overcoming-Uncertain/dp/0593237463 “A Bit of Optimism Podcast” – Simon Sinek  https://simonsinek.com/podcast/  #DisruptiveInnovation #Innovation #DisruptiveTech

    37 min
  3. Augmenting Human Coaches With AI To Scale Leadership Development with Louise Doorn of CoachNova

    Jun 7

    Augmenting Human Coaches With AI To Scale Leadership Development with Louise Doorn of CoachNova

    This week, David Wright sits down with Louise Doorn, CEO and Founder of CoachNova, to discuss how AI is reshaping the executive coaching industry. Louise shares the vision behind CoachNova, a platform designed to augment human coaches with AI — capturing coaching signatures from session transcriptions, extending client relationships beyond scheduled hours and building a privacy-first infrastructure under the EU AI Act. Key Takeaways: 00:00 Introduction. 02:30 Why Louise believes agentic AI and digital knowledge gardens are a game-changer for leaders who cannot scale themselves.  05:10 How inner development and stepping away from the day-to-day have driven Louise's biggest breakthroughs.  11:20 The moment a failed IPO led Louise to a year of exploration — and ultimately to entrepreneurship.  22:05 How CoachNova built its MVP within two months following an AI and coaching conference at Columbia.  23:06 How the platform uses prompt engineering and ICF and EMCC accreditation standards to generate session notes.  24:45 Why CoachNova built on EU infrastructure to comply with GDPR and the EU AI Act — and what that means for data security in coaching.  25:09 How pattern recognition across coaching sessions measures coach efficacy by client type for corporate sponsor programs.  27:30 How 80% of a coach's signature is captured from transcriptions — and what fills the remaining 20%.  31:15 Why static digital twins fall short and how CoachNova's dynamic model continues to develop alongside the coach and coachee. Thanks for listening to the “Disruptive Innovators” podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, hit the subscribe button and never miss another insightful conversation. And be sure to leave a review to help get the word out about the Champions of Digital Business. Resources Mentioned: CoachNova:  https://coachnova.ai  Still Human: https://www.coachnova.ai/still-human #DisruptiveInnovation #Innovation #DisruptiveTech

    39 min
  4. Live From HIMSS 2026: The Future of Healthcare IT - Part 2

    May 10

    Live From HIMSS 2026: The Future of Healthcare IT - Part 2

    David Wright sits down with four healthcare technology leaders live from HIMSS 2026 in Las Vegas for a series of short, direct conversations capturing the real state of digital health transformation. Tom Boyle (Head of Telecoms at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust), Tonya Reeder (CIO, Walter Reed National Military Mediacl Centre), Trip Humphrey (Director of Data Science and AI, Carilion Clinic), and Dr. Kaitlan Baston (Founder and CEO, Vinyl Health) each bring a distinct vantage point on AI adoption, governance, equity, and patient empowerment in a sector moving faster than its own roadmaps. Key Takeaways: 00:00 Introduction. 02:30 UK patients accept longer waits , but only if health systems proactively keep them informed along the way. 04:00 Start AI with admin and radiology triage — win trust first, then pursue bigger clinical transformation. 06:00 The NHS and US health systems face more digital parallels than differences — same conversations, different funding models. 18:00 AI bias is a data gap problem, for example, underrepresented populations were simply absent from early military health records. 18:30 Buying a $25M AI tool means nothing if you're only using $1M worth of its functionality. 30:00 Building AI models from scratch is a research undertaking. Most health systems should focus on implementation science instead. 34:00 Health system leaders learn about new AI capabilities hours before their stakeholders ask about them — roadmaps are nearly impossible. 38:30 The right response to breakneck AI change is empathy, not telling people to just deal with being scared. 49:30 Care coordination is duplicated everywhere, but patients and families are rarely the ones driving it. Vinyl fixes that. 52:30 Federal momentum — CMS Tech Ecosystem, data blocking rules, TEFCA — is directly aligned with patient-held records. The timing is right. Resources Mentioned: Tom Boyle https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomboylenhs/ Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust https://www.linkedin.com/company/sheffield-teaching-hospitals-nhs-foundation-trust/ Tonya Reeder https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonyareeder/ Walter Reed National Military Mediacl Centre https://www.linkedin.com/company/wrnmmcdha/ Trip Humphrey https://www.linkedin.com/in/triphumphrey/ Carilion Clinic | LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/carilion-clinic/ Carilion Clinic | Website https://www.carilionclinic.org/ Dr. Kaitlan Baston https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaitlan-baston/ Vinyl Health | LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/vinyl-health-ai/ Vinyl Health | Website https://www.vinylhealth.com/ HIMSS 2026 https://www.himss.org/news-center/himss26-shaping-the-future-of-healthcare-with-expert-insights-exceptional-impact/ University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust https://www.uhnm.nhs.uk CMS Interoperability and Patient Access Rule https://www.cms.gov/interoperability Tefca (Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement) https://www.healthit.gov/topic/interoperability/policy/trusted-exchange-framework-and-common-agreement-tefca Thanks for listening to the “Disruptive Innovators” podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, hit the subscribe button and never miss another insightful conversation. And be sure to leave a review to help get the word out about the Champions of Digital Business. #DisruptiveInnovation #Innovation #DisruptiveTech

    59 min
  5. Live From HIMSS 2026: The Future of Healthcare IT

    Apr 26

    Live From HIMSS 2026: The Future of Healthcare IT

    In a special live episode recorded on the floor of HIMSS 2026 in Las Vegas, David Wright sits down with four healthcare technology leaders to capture a snapshot of where healthcare innovation stands right now. The guests are Benjiman Jennings, Assistant Program Manager of PEO DHMS; Dustin Hufford, Senior VP and CIO of Cooper University Health Care; Maria Sexton, Senior VP and CIO of UT Medical; and Michael Hasselberg, Chief Transformation and Digital Officer of Nebraska Medicine. KEY TAKEAWAYS 00:00:00 Introduction. 00:06:30 Benjiman Jennings describes how cybersecurity requirements and budget instability compound inside government healthcare IT, creating a uniquely constrained environment for innovation. 00:14:00 Solving today’s problems creates tomorrow’s problems — and the real leverage is building for challenges five years out. 00:27:00 Dustin Hufford discusses foundational AI priorities: a cloud data lake, native AI development and a Chief AI Officer hire to coordinate maturation. 00:33:00 Consolidating patient data at health system level is impractical at scale, and there is a case for patient-held data with AI summarisation. 00:39:00 Maria Sexton reframes the ‘IT and the business’ language as a structural problem — one IT has largely created for itself by accepting a satellite role. 00:49:00 Maria shares what she learned when she arrived at UT Medical to find 430 listed projects, and what the CPO told her about running too far ahead of the organisation. 01:07:00 Michael Hasselberg explains how it has never been easier to build AI in-house. 01:09:30 An AI governance model, where use cases are voted on by the chiefs and CEO, ensures senior-level resource commitment before every build. 01:14:00 A clinician was convinced a vendor had the only solution, until process engineers scoped the problem and built it in five weeks. RESOURCES MENTIONED Benjiman Jennings http://linkedin.com/in/benjimanjennings PEO DHMS http://linkedin.com/company/peo-dhms Dustin Hufford http://linkedin.com/in/dustin-hufford-ba70352 Cooper University Health Care http://linkedin.com/company/cooperuniversityhealthcare Maria Sexton http://linkedin.com/in/mariasexton UT Medical http://linkedin.com/company/ut-medical Michael Hasselberg http://linkedin.com/in/michael-hasselberg-793a4111b Nebraska Medicine http://linkedin.com/company/nebraskamed HIMSS 2026 https://www.himss.org CMS Tech Ecosystem https://www.cms.gov PEO DHMS https://health.mil/Military-Health-Topics/Technology/PEO-DHMS Cooper University Health Care https://www.cooperhealth.org/ Nebraska Medicine https://www.nebraskamed.com UT Medical https://www.utmedical.org/ Thanks for listening to the “Disruptive Innovators” podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, hit the subscribe button and never miss another insightful conversation. And be sure to leave a review to help get the word out about the Champions of Digital Business. #DisruptiveInnovation #Innovation #DisruptiveTech

    1h 20m
  6. Using AI To Address Clinical Debt and Health Inequalities with Tim Caroe of NHS England

    Apr 20

    Using AI To Address Clinical Debt and Health Inequalities with Tim Caroe of NHS England

    David Wright sits down with  NHS England’s Tim Caroe - Primary Care Medical Director and Acting CCIO for NHSE South East and National Primary Care Medical Directorate Lead for Digital and Data. They explore the growing pressure on primary care, why digital has to be central to the solution and what a genuinely prevention-focused health system could look like. Key Takeaways: 00:00 Introduction. 03:10 Tim describes his career path from Cambridge to GP to national digital lead. 08:20 Curiosity is a defining quality of effective leadership — when people stop asking why, they become difficult to follow. 14:05 Restlessness with the status quo has been central to Tim's career progression, pushing him from organ-level thinking to population-level change. 18:10 During COVID, Tim cleared his diary to listen to concerns about disproportionate impact on people of color — an early intervention that an independent review later credited with saving lives. 22:20 Clinical debt is measurable and nationally visible; the data already exists, but incentives and additional teams have not solved it at scale. 25:05 Without a significant digital component, there is an existential threat to what healthcare systems can deliver — inequality in access to care will deepen. 28:10 Society moves slower than technology — the challenge is building national infrastructure through public-private collaboration rather than leaving coverage to a fragmented market. 33:15 Primary care in the UK holds some of the most detailed patient records in the world, but data sharing remains limited by legacy legislation and personal liability for GPs. 36:10 Patients are already seeking their own health data — the infrastructure to support that safely, with AI helping identify what is appropriate to share, is the next step. Resources Mentioned: Tim Caroe https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-caroe-4029a2200/ NHS England | LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/nhsengland/ NHS England | Website https://www.england.nhs.uk/ Isaac Asimov - Foundation Series https://www.amazon.com/Foundation-Isaac-Asimov/dp/0553293354 NHS APP   https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-app/ Thanks for listening to the “Disruptive Innovators” podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, hit the subscribe button and never miss another insightful conversation. And be sure to leave a review to help get the word out about the Champions of Digital Business. #DisruptiveInnovation #Innovation #DisruptiveTech

    40 min
  7. Leading Digital Transformation in Property with Richard Corbridge of SEGRO

    Apr 12

    Leading Digital Transformation in Property with Richard Corbridge of SEGRO

    David Wright sits down with Richard Corbridge , Chief Information Officer of SEGRO plc, on this episode. They explore how technology is reshaping the property industry, why simplifying core systems matters and how AI orchestration can free people to focus on higher-value work. Richard shares lessons from the NHS, retail and government, and reflects on leading digital transformation through an industrial revolution driven by AI. Key Takeaways: 00:00 Introduction. 03:10 Making digital change understandable across the business. 11:20 Leading through crisis during Black Friday at Boots. 16:05 Moving from manual processes to AI-driven automation. 20:30 The data challenge: turning volume into insight. 24:05 Orchestrating AI and managing “digital colleagues.” 28:45 Measuring value as technology spend increases. 33:10 AI as an industrial revolution for the workforce. 34:40 Career advice: embrace change across industries. Resources Mentioned: Richard Corbridge http://www.linkedin.com/in/rich-corbridge-fbcs-8b621b5/ SEGRO plc | lIinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/segro-plc/ SEGRO | Website https://www.segro.com Boots https://www.boots.com Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions NHS (National Health Service) https://www.nhs.uk Walgreens Boots Alliance https://www.walgreensbootsalliance.com Microsoft Copilot https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-copilot Claude (Anthropic) https://claude.ai Bonfire of the Vanities – Tom Wolfe https://www.amazon.com/Bonfire-Vanities-Tom-Wolfe/dp/0312427573 Nobody’s Fool – Richard Russo https://www.amazon.com/Nobodys-Fool-Richard-Russo/dp/0679753338 Thanks for listening to the “Disruptive Innovators” podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, hit the subscribe button and never miss another insightful conversation. And be sure to leave a review to help get the word out about the Champions of Digital Business. #DisruptiveInnovation #Innovation #DisruptiveTech

    36 min
  8. Closing the Knowing-Doing Gap with Jean Gomes of Outside

    Apr 5

    Closing the Knowing-Doing Gap with Jean Gomes of Outside

    Jean Gomes, Founder and CEO of Outside and author of “Leading in a Non-Linear World,” joins David Wright to explore the science of mindset and how leaders can rethink performance, change and decision-making in an increasingly uncertain world. Jean explains how mindset is not simply beliefs or behaviors but a set of self-awareness mechanisms that shape how people think, feel and interpret events. The conversation covers the neuroscience behind mindset, why organizations struggle with transformation and how leaders can close the gap between knowing and doing. Jean also shares practical frameworks for developing metacognition, managing triggered responses and using “future-back” thinking to design strategy in uncertain environments. Key Takeaways: 00:00 Introduction. 02:05 Leaders should check whether their schedule actually reflects the strategy they say they are pursuing. 05:15 Mindset is not just beliefs or behaviors; it’s a set of self-awareness mechanisms that help people reinterpret experiences and regulate how they think and feel. 07:06 Jean’s career path from neuroscience and creative industries to leadership consulting and mindset research. 12:10 Metacognition — the ability to think about your thinking — is the key mechanism that helps close the gap between knowing and doing. 14:20 Leaders who develop flexible mindsets gain the ability to adapt, question assumptions and update beliefs as new information emerges. 16:10 Many digital transformation failures occur because leaders outsource new capabilities instead of building the mindset needed to understand them. 21:05 When Jean’s business nearly collapsed during the dot-com downturn, he was forced to rethink leadership and resilience. 30:10 Practicing “constructive doubt” by reviewing weekly decisions helps leaders repair relationships, adapt faster and avoid major blind spots. 33:05 Jean’s books provide practical tools for strengthening mindset and applying neuroscience insights to leadership. 36:15 A powerful leadership strategy is “future-back thinking”: imagine the outcome you want and work backwards to identify the bold moves required today. Resources Mentioned: Jean Gomes https://www.linkedin.com/in/jean-gomes-7a2244/ Outside https://www.linkedin.com/company/outside-consulting/ "Leading in a Non-Linear World" by Jean Gomes https://www.amazon.com/dp/1119672724/ The Energy Project (Tony Schwartz) https://theenergyproject.com "The Way We're Working Isn’t Working" by Tony Schwartz, Jean Gomes and Catherine McCarthy https://www.amazon.com/dp/1451610262/ Outside | Website https://www.weareoutside.com/ Thanks for listening to the “Disruptive Innovators” podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, hit the subscribe button and never miss another insightful conversation. And be sure to leave a review to help get the word out about the Champions of Digital Business. #DisruptiveInnovation #Innovation #DisruptiveTech

    41 min
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Disruptive Innovators features conversations with CIOs and IT/Digital leaders from around the world - diving into their personal backstory/career, their current role, trends they've been seeing and their vision for the future. This podcast is made for people who recognize how quickly the digital business landscape is evolving - those who recognize that it takes a village of trusted advisors to navigate this ever-changing terrain – People who enjoy listening to high-level discussions surrounding what it means to be a leader, real-world examples of challenges faced, and industry-specific strategies leveraged to create exceptional business outcomes.

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